Do your financial staff feel constantly ambushed?
Most numbers people are introverts. And only 7% of Americans really feel at ease with numbers. So, it should come as no surprise that your financial staff might sometimes behave a little differently from the rest of your staff.
Many people feel quite at ease with someone dropping into their office or an impromptu conversation in the hallway. Most financial people do not.
In fact, as introverts, those interactions as a general rule can feel like getting "ambushed."
Can even good interruptions feel like an ambush?
Every person defines “good” differently.
To paint a picture, back when I went to college and waited tables, I remember coming home to my apartment after a long evening shift. When I opened the door, I had the surprise of not only finding my girlfriend there in the living room but also about a dozen friends. They’d decided to have a little surprise party for me.
Hooray?
Not quite.
You see, I’d spent the day in a crowded restaurant worrying about a hundred people’s orders while doing a delicate dance with kitchen and wait staff. Not a bad job, as those things go, but one that would often leave me exhausted.
While extroverts get energy from being around other people, like in a restaurant or party, an introvert might enjoy those activities briefly but then need to “recharge their batteries.”
So that surprise party, for me, hit me like a load of bricks. I wasn’t expecting it. I hadn’t had time to prepare my reaction. I was too tired to process it well. The best I could do was only go 50% catatonic!
Well what’s an ambush, then?
By "ambushed," I don't mean the other person's intent. My girlfriend and our friends certainly had the best of intentions when they threw that little surprise party.
But “ambushed” is how we can feel when we have to engage in surprise interactions. That's especially true if we're tired, in the middle of recharging our batteries, or deep in thought. Or sometimes even just refilling our coffee.
Different from extroverts, we like to have time to collect our thoughts before speaking. Impromptu conversations can feel jarring and exhausting. Consequently, the way we interact with people in those situations can fall short of our personal expectations and aspirations. It can be an unpleasant experience for everyone involved.
But our financial staffer is very sociable!
Great!
But remember, not all introverts are shy or timid. Many introverts can engage socially for hours on end. The main difference between an extrovert and an introvert is that one gets energized by social interaction while the other needs alone time after social interaction to get reenergized. Some introverts can behave very sociably.
Many introverts even become very visible CEOs, including:
Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft
Susan Wojcicki – former CEO of YouTube
Roz Brewer – former CEO of Sam’s Club
Craig Arnold – CEO of Eaton
Those folks, like me, appear to be performing introverts. We can happily converse with individuals and even groups. We can lead teams and organizations. Sometimes we even learn to respond to surprise parties with a smile.
But each interruption and each interaction can tire us. Especially surprises.
What can I do as a nonprofit leader?
Great question! Thank you for wanting to support your finance staff, reduce turnover, and help them bring their best selves to work every day.
Fortunately, you can do plenty to support them and cultivate an introvert-friendly environment. Most American organizations default to extroverted organizational culture because most Americans are extroverts. So while it doesn’t take a gigantic effort, it will likely require some intentionality and strong follow through. For example:
Make an appointment. Some of the best advice I've ever heard on is to make an appointment with your financial staffer rather than dropping in. To that I'd add that we’ll give a gold star to anyone who shares the meeting agenda, questions, or whatever in advance so we can prepare.
Minimize interruptions. I’ve seen some finance staff who get interrupted by coworkers a dozen times a day, literally, to cut a special check, to have a conversation that could have been an email, to engage in lots of small talk, and other unnecessary interruptions.
Minimize and structure meetings. How often does your organization have meetings that could have been an email? Or that don’t have a clear agenda so lots of time gets wasted? Even many of your extroverts will appreciate improvements in this area so they can spend more time delivering on your mission.
This is about more than just your interactions with your financial staff. To get the best results, use your influence as a leader to cultivate a culture that welcomes introverts and gives them a sense of belonging.
That doesn’t mean that your extroverts need to get muzzled or have to walk around on pins and needles; but it does mean finding a balance where the different personality types can work together in ways that allow them both to bring their best selves to the office.
For example, to minimize interruptions you might:
Allow your financial staffer to work remotely a few days every week.
Eliminate the expectation that the financial staffer will cut special checks on demand. Instead, checks get printed once per week on a regular schedule (like check requests due by noon Wednesday and they’ll be ready by 3pm Thursday). No exceptions without the executive director’s approval.
Provide them an office with a door.
Back Story to this post
My colleague Susan Kahan shared a notorious memo from Steve Harvey the other day. It rather gruffly tells staff that talking to him, in any context, without an appointment is equivalent to an ambush.
While I’m sure it left many people with the impression that Harvey is a mean grinch, it inspired a different reaction in me (as I’m sure you noted above). I don’t know whether Harvey is a performing introvert like I am, but it certainly would explain his behavior.
While I doubt that he handled the situation in the best way, I can absolutely sympathize with and support anyone who needs to set healthy boundaries around their time.
The moral of the story: An exhausted introvert may behave in ways that look grinchy. That same person, in the right environment and without feeling ambushed so much, could truly shine.
Further Reading